May 14, 2024 • 11 mins
Todd Milles, writer for SB Live Washington, joins Dave Softy Mahler and Dick Fain to discuss the WIAA Representative Assembly voting against adding girl’s flag football as an official sport, Zoom Diallo going to UW, and the best high school player from Seattle.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Jordia on the radio show. Whenit comes to covering high school sports in
this state, nobody, and Imean nobody does it better than our friend
Todd Millers. Todd, how areyou, man? What's going on?
Hey, guys, good Monday?See you Yeah, you too, Man.
Great to hear your voice. It'sbeen a minute. Good to have
you back on the show. Andyou heard the story there from Dick that
a lot of people, including bythe way, almost the entire Seahawks organization
(00:24):
last week and for the last coupleof months. Really, I can't tell
you how many text messages we gotfrom Mario Bailey on this topic. They
were desperate to try and get girlsflag football sanctioned in this state as a
sports and it fell one vote shorttoday. Why is that and what are
the effects of this? You think? Well, actually, it fell a
(00:46):
few more shorts, a few morevotes than that. I think they needed
sixty percent approval votes, so theyneeded pretty few votes. So they were
what I mean, one six,I mean they were close. Let's let's
put it that way. Why didit fail? Uh? You know that's
a that's the most prong question witha multi prong response. I think people
are gonna look east where there's noflag football being played and go, you
(01:10):
know why, I think, what'staking you guys so long to you know,
familiar eyes with this, get onboard with this. They they just
haven't. Some of that's their budgets, you know, they've they've had some
some budget issues over there and someof their districts, and some of it
is what season do they play itin? Guys? You know over here
on the West Side it's a wintersport, largely because of stilled availability.
(01:33):
And you can't play this in inthe in the frosty cold winter seasons over
in eastern Washington. So I thinkthose were a couple of mitigating factors on
why Eastern Washington somebody over there justjust didn't take the ball by the horn
said hey, let's let's let's getthis thing going at a school or in
a district, or let's start aleague like like Takoma did you know four
years ago and you know it grewfrom from seventeens and you know, four
(01:56):
years ago and now eighty three schoolsin western Washington played played a you know,
a girls flag football season. Sothere's obviously once the momentum gets going,
you know, and with the backingof the Seahawks, and they're three
hundred plus thousand dollars of grants,you know, it catches on pretty quickly.
Correct me if I'm wrong. II read a little bit of politics
(02:17):
in that answer. Is it thefact that Eastern Washington is more read than
Western Washington? And oh, youknow, girls aren't playing football where it's
red as much as we're in inthe West, Or am I and I
read too much? I think thereare a lot of dots you could connect,
Dick. I mean there are others. There are other there are other
states that have had similar issues ingetting girls flag football pass as as Washington,
(02:42):
and that might have something to dowith it. But I think there
are other things in play, thethings that I mentioned before. The question
is I think Dave asked, whatwhat do they what's the recourse? What
do they have to do? What'sthe next step here? They could put
this back on the on the ballotnext year, and I think they will.
I mean, you know, thesenumbers, it's not like lost on
the landslide, right. They couldput this backs on the ballot and in
(03:02):
front of the rep Assembly board fora vote next year, or they could
go the pilot program. The WIAAExecutive Board has a two year pilot program.
They could go that route, remaina club sport, meet some of
the you know, the conditions,trying to get forty percent of their member
schools playing it by year two andif you know, and then that way,
(03:23):
that would sort of side step thewia Rep Assembly part of it.
It would just go to the ExecutiveBoard for approval. So they have a
couple options and what they can donext. But I think you're going to
see this as an amendment or ayou know, a new you know,
an amendment next year where they're goingto vote on at the same time,
you know, same place. Yeah, I would think this eventually passes and
(03:45):
becomes a sport, but for nowit does stays a club sport girls flag
football because it failed to pass today. But Todd Millis is with us on
the air, and Todd, Igot to ask you. You've been covering
high school football, high school basketball, high school sports for a long long
time, and we're starting to seearound the country the NIL era creep into
high school athletics. What's the futureyou think of NIL look like? In
(04:08):
our statement, Well, I meanthe door is open for that in Washington.
I know other states don't allow thatto happen, but I think we're
gonna see that very shortly. Guys, I'm just waiting. I'm fifty three
years old. I'm waiting for thetime that I come up to a high
school athlete and you know where theyHey, you know what am I getting
(04:28):
paid for this? I mean that'sthe right around the corner. So and
you could look at the Metro Leaguewith all those great athletes, those big
names that they're going D one programsin the NBA, and I think that's
probably where where we're going to seeit start. First, wait a minute,
you're telling me that some fifteen yearold kid is gonna pull a Patrick
Beverly on you and say I can'ttalk to you unless you subscribe to my
(04:51):
podcast. That's gonna happen time.I'm not only saying I'm not only saying
that, Dave. I'm also sayingthat he's probably gonna say you that if
you ask him to come on yourshow. Wow. Well, obviously the
Husky's got big news today with greatOsa War, but that's not the only
great player on this Battuh. Yousaw zoom y'allo a lot in high school.
(05:15):
I called him a top five playerin state's history from baseball on what
I've seen. But you've seen alot more zoom than I have. So
give Husky fans an indication of whattype of player they're getting. Yeah,
I mean it's power. It's it'spower and skill. Uh. I did
get to see him play in thebackdrop of the Hoop Summit down in Portland
when the US played the World teamand got to see him play against him
(05:40):
with some of the some of thebest athletes in this class. And does
he have the wiggle that some ofthese guys have? No, but does
he have the skill and the power. And when he gets downhill, you
know, I mean he's got anNBA body. You've seen it stick.
He's a what is he six fourand you know, fit and filled out.
(06:00):
Yeah, and he's gotten bigger sincehe's gone down in the prep school
in California. So very skilled.You're gonna like him. He's a he's
a good natured young man. Justa lot to like about him. And
plus he sees it. I mean, he's got the court vision. He's
not gonna be taking twenty five orthirty shots the game, so the well
rounded and the strength of his gamereally and I got to watch him center
(06:25):
twenty times when he's a Curtis andI know he's better now than he was
a year ago. Well, ToddMillis is with us again, senior writer
for SB Live Washington. Find himon Twitter at many Hats mill Us and
Todd, I want to ask youabout that, because there was a point
in time, you know what,five, six, seven years ago,
maybe even shorter than that, whereSeattle was the epicenter of high school basketball.
(06:46):
It was like New York City inthe sixties and seventies, for God's
sake, And I got frustrated myselfbecause I thought that was the perfect time
for Husky basketball to shine with thetalent in their backyard. It never happened.
How would you compare the overall talentlevel in Seattle based on where it
was when guys like Isaiah Thomas andBrandon Roy, Nate Robinson, Will Conroy,
(07:08):
We're all running around. Oh man, you're putting me on the spot.
I mean, we're talking about someof the best that I've ever come
out of Seattle on that era.I mean, is it's still that hot?
Though individually, I don't know ifit's the depth of it. Like
I'm a big Legend Smiley fan.If anybody that's watched him play basketball,
(07:28):
I think he plays basketball the rightway. I think you can mention him
with the grace that have come outof the city. And I think we're
going to see that next year atGarfield and then when he goes on to
college. But I mean, PaulaVentio is the best. I think he's
the best player I've ever seen comeout of Seattle in high school. I
I've mentioned that last week on socialmedia, I've mentioned that over the last
couple of years. But Michael PorterJunior is pretty good in his one year.
(07:50):
But in terms of comparing them,I just don't think you're seeing the
depth of what we saw with Nateand I mean Jamal back in the day.
I just that era was was special, good guys coming out of Seattle,
no question about it. And maybethis year was a little bit down
in the class of twenty twenty four, but man, it's it's man,
(08:11):
I'm kind of I love the guysfrom the nineties in the early two thousands.
I'm gonna stick with those guys andand I think their track record kind
of you know, speaks for itstuff there. Yeah, it was unbelievable
runner or real quick. I hada conversation when to go back to the
girls flight football for a second.I had a conversation with my daughter yesterday
because you'll show me in high schoolin two years, and really she really
(08:35):
likes, oh my god, isthat ridiculous? Good Lord? And going
on, and we were playing likewe were throwing the ball, right,
I was throwing the ball with her. She wanted to throw the ball with
my son as well. And Itold her, I said, hey,
when you're in I thought this thingwas going to pass. And I was
like, you're gonna have flag footballin high school. What do you want
to play? And She's like,yes, I want to play. I
want to be a quarterback. Andso what do I tell her now?
(08:56):
If it doesn't pass between now andthen, I mean, what opportunity does
does she have? Because it seemedlike under the WIA jurisdiction there will just
be a lot more accessibility because mostschools will actually have a team. I
think it's inevitable. I just okay, you know, there's a reason why
new sports just don't seem to pass. I mean hasn't. We haven't had
(09:18):
a new sport approved since nineteen ninetynine and girls bowling, But there's just
a lot of agendas in a lotof different districts around the state. What
you know, I don't pretend toknow what, just what a district athletic
director in Davenport, Washington was thinkingwhen he voted no or she voted no
on a girls flag football. Ijust think it just needs to sort of
marinate a little longer around the state. Most athletic directors on both sides of
(09:39):
the states I talked to say,Hey, it's inevitable this is going to
get passed. It's just right now. It's what road. Is it going
to be through the rep Assembly oris it going to be a sort of
a two year pilot program And oncethey meet they if they go that route,
they'll meet the criteria and get andget approved one way or another.
So tell your daughter she's going tobe playing thanks in Wi girls like when
(10:00):
she gets to high school. Idon't know when it is your ninth grade
year or sophomore year, but Ican almost guarantee that that that will happen
for her and you tell her,by the way, if she needs any
muscle, I'm her guy. Yeall right, and mess with her.
I'll beat your ass right in themiddle period soft. He's gonna be at
the heart rid not in your flagfootball. Yeah right, waiting for you
by the smoking section. I'm there, Todd, You're the you're the man.
(10:24):
Great stop, dude. Great tohear your voice and we'll talk sooner,
d buddy, you bet? Uh? Todd Millis again with us on
the radio show. Yeah. Imean, it was a big thing for
a couple of weeks and then itkind of went away. But I think
he's right. At some point intime this will get pass. I was
shocked to hear him say there's notbeen a new sport in twenty five years
since girls bowling. Is that true? I guess, Wow, you would
(10:45):
know more than I would, Butwould I know, I'm just than that
I would. But yeah, Ijust think it's a it's a no brainer.
I mean, I've coached flag Icoached flag football for four years and
it is a fabulous sport. Ihad the best player on my team for
all four years, and it wasa boys team. The best player I
(11:05):
had was a girl. The bestplayer I had, and we had a
really good team. And she's goingto Kennedy this year and she's not going
to get the opportunity to play flagfootball at Kennedy. She says she might
turn out for the tackle football.Yeah, good for her. Isn't this
an Olympic sport now? Flag football? By the way? Or am I
crazy I think it is? Ordid I dream that? By the way.
I may have dreamt that after acouple of my ties in Maui
Jordia on the radio show. Whenit comes to covering high school sports in
this state, nobody, and Imean nobody does it better than our friend
Todd Millers. Todd, how areyou, man? What's going on?
Hey, guys, good Monday?See you Yeah, you too, Man.
Great to hear your voice. It'sbeen a minute. Good to have
you back on the show. Andyou heard the story there from Dick that
a lot of people, including bythe way, almost the entire Seahawks organization
(00:24):
last week and for the last coupleof months. Really, I can't tell
you how many text messages we gotfrom Mario Bailey on this topic. They
were desperate to try and get girlsflag football sanctioned in this state as a
sports and it fell one vote shorttoday. Why is that and what are
the effects of this? You think? Well, actually, it fell a
(00:46):
few more shorts, a few morevotes than that. I think they needed
sixty percent approval votes, so theyneeded pretty few votes. So they were
what I mean, one six,I mean they were close. Let's let's
put it that way. Why didit fail? Uh? You know that's
a that's the most prong question witha multi prong response. I think people
are gonna look east where there's noflag football being played and go, you
(01:10):
know why, I think, what'staking you guys so long to you know,
familiar eyes with this, get onboard with this. They they just
haven't. Some of that's their budgets, you know, they've they've had some
some budget issues over there and someof their districts, and some of it
is what season do they play itin? Guys? You know over here
on the West Side it's a wintersport, largely because of stilled availability.
(01:33):
And you can't play this in inthe in the frosty cold winter seasons over
in eastern Washington. So I thinkthose were a couple of mitigating factors on
why Eastern Washington somebody over there justjust didn't take the ball by the horn
said hey, let's let's let's getthis thing going at a school or in
a district, or let's start aleague like like Takoma did you know four
years ago and you know it grewfrom from seventeens and you know, four
(01:56):
years ago and now eighty three schoolsin western Washington played played a you know,
a girls flag football season. Sothere's obviously once the momentum gets going,
you know, and with the backingof the Seahawks, and they're three
hundred plus thousand dollars of grants,you know, it catches on pretty quickly.
Correct me if I'm wrong. II read a little bit of politics
(02:17):
in that answer. Is it thefact that Eastern Washington is more read than
Western Washington? And oh, youknow, girls aren't playing football where it's
red as much as we're in inthe West, Or am I and I
read too much? I think thereare a lot of dots you could connect,
Dick. I mean there are others. There are other there are other
states that have had similar issues ingetting girls flag football pass as as Washington,
(02:42):
and that might have something to dowith it. But I think there
are other things in play, thethings that I mentioned before. The question
is I think Dave asked, whatwhat do they what's the recourse? What
do they have to do? What'sthe next step here? They could put
this back on the on the ballotnext year, and I think they will.
I mean, you know, thesenumbers, it's not like lost on
the landslide, right. They couldput this backs on the ballot and in
(03:02):
front of the rep Assembly board fora vote next year, or they could
go the pilot program. The WIAAExecutive Board has a two year pilot program.
They could go that route, remaina club sport, meet some of
the you know, the conditions,trying to get forty percent of their member
schools playing it by year two andif you know, and then that way,
(03:23):
that would sort of side step thewia Rep Assembly part of it.
It would just go to the ExecutiveBoard for approval. So they have a
couple options and what they can donext. But I think you're going to
see this as an amendment or ayou know, a new you know,
an amendment next year where they're goingto vote on at the same time,
you know, same place. Yeah, I would think this eventually passes and
(03:45):
becomes a sport, but for nowit does stays a club sport girls flag
football because it failed to pass today. But Todd Millis is with us on
the air, and Todd, Igot to ask you. You've been covering
high school football, high school basketball, high school sports for a long long
time, and we're starting to seearound the country the NIL era creep into
high school athletics. What's the futureyou think of NIL look like? In
(04:08):
our statement, Well, I meanthe door is open for that in Washington.
I know other states don't allow thatto happen, but I think we're
gonna see that very shortly. Guys, I'm just waiting. I'm fifty three
years old. I'm waiting for thetime that I come up to a high
school athlete and you know where theyHey, you know what am I getting
(04:28):
paid for this? I mean that'sthe right around the corner. So and
you could look at the Metro Leaguewith all those great athletes, those big
names that they're going D one programsin the NBA, and I think that's
probably where where we're going to seeit start. First, wait a minute,
you're telling me that some fifteen yearold kid is gonna pull a Patrick
Beverly on you and say I can'ttalk to you unless you subscribe to my
(04:51):
podcast. That's gonna happen time.I'm not only saying I'm not only saying
that, Dave. I'm also sayingthat he's probably gonna say you that if
you ask him to come on yourshow. Wow. Well, obviously the
Husky's got big news today with greatOsa War, but that's not the only
great player on this Battuh. Yousaw zoom y'allo a lot in high school.
(05:15):
I called him a top five playerin state's history from baseball on what
I've seen. But you've seen alot more zoom than I have. So
give Husky fans an indication of whattype of player they're getting. Yeah,
I mean it's power. It's it'spower and skill. Uh. I did
get to see him play in thebackdrop of the Hoop Summit down in Portland
when the US played the World teamand got to see him play against him
(05:40):
with some of the some of thebest athletes in this class. And does
he have the wiggle that some ofthese guys have? No, but does
he have the skill and the power. And when he gets downhill, you
know, I mean he's got anNBA body. You've seen it stick.
He's a what is he six fourand you know, fit and filled out.
(06:00):
Yeah, and he's gotten bigger sincehe's gone down in the prep school
in California. So very skilled.You're gonna like him. He's a he's
a good natured young man. Justa lot to like about him. And
plus he sees it. I mean, he's got the court vision. He's
not gonna be taking twenty five orthirty shots the game, so the well
rounded and the strength of his gamereally and I got to watch him center
(06:25):
twenty times when he's a Curtis andI know he's better now than he was
a year ago. Well, ToddMillis is with us again, senior writer
for SB Live Washington. Find himon Twitter at many Hats mill Us and
Todd, I want to ask youabout that, because there was a point
in time, you know what,five, six, seven years ago,
maybe even shorter than that, whereSeattle was the epicenter of high school basketball.
(06:46):
It was like New York City inthe sixties and seventies, for God's
sake, And I got frustrated myselfbecause I thought that was the perfect time
for Husky basketball to shine with thetalent in their backyard. It never happened.
How would you compare the overall talentlevel in Seattle based on where it
was when guys like Isaiah Thomas andBrandon Roy, Nate Robinson, Will Conroy,
(07:08):
We're all running around. Oh man, you're putting me on the spot.
I mean, we're talking about someof the best that I've ever come
out of Seattle on that era.I mean, is it's still that hot?
Though individually, I don't know ifit's the depth of it. Like
I'm a big Legend Smiley fan.If anybody that's watched him play basketball,
(07:28):
I think he plays basketball the rightway. I think you can mention him
with the grace that have come outof the city. And I think we're
going to see that next year atGarfield and then when he goes on to
college. But I mean, PaulaVentio is the best. I think he's
the best player I've ever seen comeout of Seattle in high school. I
I've mentioned that last week on socialmedia, I've mentioned that over the last
couple of years. But Michael PorterJunior is pretty good in his one year.
(07:50):
But in terms of comparing them,I just don't think you're seeing the
depth of what we saw with Nateand I mean Jamal back in the day.
I just that era was was special, good guys coming out of Seattle,
no question about it. And maybethis year was a little bit down
in the class of twenty twenty four, but man, it's it's man,
(08:11):
I'm kind of I love the guysfrom the nineties in the early two thousands.
I'm gonna stick with those guys andand I think their track record kind
of you know, speaks for itstuff there. Yeah, it was unbelievable
runner or real quick. I hada conversation when to go back to the
girls flight football for a second.I had a conversation with my daughter yesterday
because you'll show me in high schoolin two years, and really she really
(08:35):
likes, oh my god, isthat ridiculous? Good Lord? And going
on, and we were playing likewe were throwing the ball, right,
I was throwing the ball with her. She wanted to throw the ball with
my son as well. And Itold her, I said, hey,
when you're in I thought this thingwas going to pass. And I was
like, you're gonna have flag footballin high school. What do you want
to play? And She's like,yes, I want to play. I
want to be a quarterback. Andso what do I tell her now?
(08:56):
If it doesn't pass between now andthen, I mean, what opportunity does
does she have? Because it seemedlike under the WIA jurisdiction there will just
be a lot more accessibility because mostschools will actually have a team. I
think it's inevitable. I just okay, you know, there's a reason why
new sports just don't seem to pass. I mean hasn't. We haven't had
(09:18):
a new sport approved since nineteen ninetynine and girls bowling, But there's just
a lot of agendas in a lotof different districts around the state. What
you know, I don't pretend toknow what, just what a district athletic
director in Davenport, Washington was thinkingwhen he voted no or she voted no
on a girls flag football. Ijust think it just needs to sort of
marinate a little longer around the state. Most athletic directors on both sides of
(09:39):
the states I talked to say,Hey, it's inevitable this is going to
get passed. It's just right now. It's what road. Is it going
to be through the rep Assembly oris it going to be a sort of
a two year pilot program And oncethey meet they if they go that route,
they'll meet the criteria and get andget approved one way or another.
So tell your daughter she's going tobe playing thanks in Wi girls like when
(10:00):
she gets to high school. Idon't know when it is your ninth grade
year or sophomore year, but Ican almost guarantee that that that will happen
for her and you tell her,by the way, if she needs any
muscle, I'm her guy. Yeall right, and mess with her.
I'll beat your ass right in themiddle period soft. He's gonna be at
the heart rid not in your flagfootball. Yeah right, waiting for you
by the smoking section. I'm there, Todd, You're the you're the man.
(10:24):
Great stop, dude. Great tohear your voice and we'll talk sooner,
d buddy, you bet? Uh? Todd Millis again with us on
the radio show. Yeah. Imean, it was a big thing for
a couple of weeks and then itkind of went away. But I think
he's right. At some point intime this will get pass. I was
shocked to hear him say there's notbeen a new sport in twenty five years
since girls bowling. Is that true? I guess, Wow, you would
(10:45):
know more than I would, Butwould I know, I'm just than that
I would. But yeah, Ijust think it's a it's a no brainer.
I mean, I've coached flag Icoached flag football for four years and
it is a fabulous sport. Ihad the best player on my team for
all four years, and it wasa boys team. The best player I
(11:05):
had was a girl. The bestplayer I had, and we had a
really good team. And she's goingto Kennedy this year and she's not going
to get the opportunity to play flagfootball at Kennedy. She says she might
turn out for the tackle football.Yeah, good for her. Isn't this
an Olympic sport now? Flag football? By the way? Or am I
crazy I think it is? Ordid I dream that? By the way.
I may have dreamt that after acouple of my ties in Maui
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